Latin America
Native Spanish speakers are strongly advised to enroll in advanced Spanish courses in order to qualify. Most Spanish speaking programs strongly encourage students take a Spanish class in the semester preceding their arrival.
Chile
| Program Sponsor | Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE) |
|---|---|
| Program Name | Santiago Liberal Arts |
| Program Type | Hybrid |
| Location | Santiago, a city of 6 million inhabitants, provides students an opportunity to enjoy urban life in the economic and cultural heart of Chile. |
| Program Size | 40 |
| Languages | Spanish |
| Fields of Study | Full curriculum, all STEM majors |
| Academics | Students enroll in four to six classes totaling 15–18 units. Participants take one CIEE course and one Spanish course at the CIEE study center. Additional courses are taken at three prestigious partner universities. Non-credit volunteer and internship options are available. Students adhere to a language pledge. |
| Program Eligibility | 2.75 GPA; Spanish 44+1; a Spanish language course within the past year is recommended |
| Housing | Students live with a local host family. |
| Terms | Fall (late July to mid Dec.); spring (late Feb. to mid July) |
| Did you know … | Eighty percent of South America’s glaciers are in Chile. The largest Chilean glaciers are the Northern and Southern Patagonian Ice Fields. |
| Program Sponsor | Institute for the International Education of Students (IES Abroad) |
|---|---|
| Program Name | Study in Santiago |
| Program Type | Stand-alone and direct enrollment |
| Location | As the capital of Chile, a country with one of the strongest economies in Latin America, Santiago is the industrial and financial center of the country. |
| Program/University Size | Varies by partner university |
| Languages | Spanish |
| Fields of Study | Full curriculum, all STEM majors |
| Academics | Students enroll in five classes totaling 15–16 units. A Spanish language course taught at the IES Santiago center is required, and students will select an additional four courses. Students who have completed Spanish 44 or higher must take one or two courses at the partner universities. Service learning and internships are available. |
| Program Eligibility | 3.0 GPA; Spanish 44 |
| Housing | Students live with a local host family. |
| Terms | Fall (late July to early Dec.); spring (late Feb. to early July) |
| Did you know … | About 70 percent of Chile’s population are Mestizos (people with mixed European and native Indian ancestry). About 25 percent are Caucasian, while about 5 percent are Mapuche and other indigenous groups. |
| Program Sponsor | IFSA Butler |
|---|---|
| Program Name | Chilean Study Abroad Program, Santiago |
| Program Type | Stand-alone and direct enrollment |
| Location | |
| Program Size | 20 |
| Languages | Spanish |
| Fields of Study | Full curriculum, all STEM majors |
| Academics | Students enroll in five classes totaling 15–16 units. The program’s Spanish language course is required, and students can select either an additional program course or a directed research option. All additional courses are taken at partner universities. A limited number of English-taught business and economics courses are available. Students may also participate in a volunteer project. |
| Program Eligibility | 3.0 GPA; Spanish 44+1 |
| Housing | Students live with a local host family. |
| Terms | Fall (late July to mid Dec.); spring (late Feb. to mid July) |
| Did you know … | Due to Santiago’s central location and natural surroundings, it is possible to ski and go to the beach in the same day! |
| Program Sponsor | Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE) |
|---|---|
| Program Name | Valaparaíso Liberal Arts |
| Program Type | Stand-alone and direct enrollment |
| Location | Valaparaíso is the second-largest city in Chile. |
| Program/University Size | Varies by university |
| Languages | Spanish |
| Fields of Study | Full curriculum, all STEM majors (except computer science) |
| Academics | Students enroll in four to six classes totaling 16–18 units. Students take one CIEE course and one Spanish course at the CIEE study center. Additional courses are taken at the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Valparaíso (PUCV). Non-credit volunteer and internship options are available. Students adhere to a language pledge. |
| Program Eligibility | 2.75 GPA; Spanish 44+1 |
| Housing | Students live with a local host family. |
| Terms | Fall (mid July to mid Dec.); spring (mid Feb. to mid July) |
| Did you know … | Valparaíso is known as “The Garden City” and is one of the most prosperous cities in Chile. |
Costa Rica
| Program Sponsor | Organization for Tropical Studies |
|---|---|
| Program Name | Organization for Tropical Studies (OTS): Tropical Biology on a Changing Planet |
| Program Type | Experiential field-based |
| Location | The program begins in San Jose, the largest city in Costa Rica. From there students will visit several different biological field stations throughout the semester. |
| Program Size | 25 |
| Languages | English and Spanish |
| Fields of Study | Biology; environmental studies |
| Academics | Students enroll in four classes totaling 16 units. |
| Program Eligibility | 2.7 GPA; Spanish 11 plus two semesters of college-level biology or ecology required |
| Housing | Three-week home stay with a local Costa Rican family and dorm-style cabins at field stations. |
| Terms | Fall (late Aug. to early Dec.); spring (late Jan. to mid May) |
| Comments | The program is physically and intellectually demanding, stressing full immersion and hands-on scientific and cultural studies. |
| Did you know … | In Costa Rica, a “soda” is a small, informal restaurant that serves traditional meals like chicken, rice, beans and salad for $2 to $3 a plate. |
| Program Sponsor | Pitzer College |
|---|---|
| Program Name | Pitzer in Costa Rica |
| Program Type | Cultural immersion |
| Location | Close to the Pacific Ocean, the program is based in the city of Heredia at Pitzer College’s Firestone Center for Restoration Ecology, just four hours from San Jose. |
| Program Size | 15 |
| Languages | English and Spanish |
| Fields of Study | Costa Rican area studies; engineering option |
| Academics | Students take four classes totaling 16 units. The program consists of lectures, seminars, fieldwork and independent study. Students choose between the beginning track or advanced track, which offers an internship. During the spring semester, engineering majors may take an E102 course that will satisfy the requirements for the Harvey Mudd College E102 course. |
| Program Eligibility | 2.5 GPA |
| Housing | Students live with a local host family. |
| Terms | Fall (late Aug. to mid Dec.); spring (late Jan. to mid May) |
| Did you know … | Spanish is the country’s official language, though a large number of its citizens are bilingual. English, due to its status as the international language of tourists, is the most common second language in Costa Rica. |
Ecuador
| Program Sponsor | Pitzer College |
|---|---|
| Program Name | Pitzer in Ecuador |
| Program Type | Cultural immersion |
| Location | Bordered by Colombia, Peru and the Pacific Ocean, Ecuador is the smallest of the Andean nations yet is known for its ecological and cultural diversity. |
| Program Size | 15 |
| Languages | English and Spanish |
| Fields of Study | Ecuadorian area studies; engineering option |
| Academics | Students take four classes totaling 16 units. The program consists of lectures, seminars, fieldwork and independent study. Advanced Spanish students may substitute the Spanish class with a native Quichia language class. During the spring semester, engineering majors can take an E102 course that will satisfy the requirements for the Harvey Mudd E102 course. |
| Program Eligibility | 2.5 GPA |
| Housing | Students live with a local host family. |
| Terms | Fall (early Aug. to mid Dec.); spring (early Jan. to late May) |
| Did you know … | Ecuador supports a population of 13 million people and includes 10 distinct indigenous groups. Nearly 40 percent of residents live below the poverty line. |
| Program Sponsor | School for International Training (SIT) |
|---|---|
| Program Name | Ecuador: Comparative Ecology and Conservation |
| Program Type | Cultural immersion; students take classes with other U.S. students |
| Location | Ecuador is home to two biological hotspots, the tropical Andes and Chocó—both known for their mega-diversity and rapid loss of habitat. |
| Program Size | 25 |
| Languages | Spanish |
| Fields of Study | Biology; environmental studies; social sciences |
| Academics | Students take four courses equaling 16 credits. Instruction consists of lectures, seminars, tutorials, research, fieldwork and independent study. |
| Program Eligibility | 3.0 GPA; Spanish 44; previous coursework in biology or ecology |
| Housing | Students live in private homes, hotels and field camps. |
| Terms | Fall (early to mid Dec.); spring (early Feb. to mid May) |
| Did you know … | One of the most biologically diverse countries on the planet and with four distinct ecosystems, Ecuador provides an ideal setting for learning about ecology from a comparative context. |